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Oil and alkyd on board - Signed & dated 2018 - In 2014, Smither asked people from his daily life to sit for him. He cites the images and atrocities in world news as his stimulus for five portraits completed in 2018. This rare self portrait and the one of his partner Gian McGregor are included in this auction. These head shots capture the vitality in faces he knows well. The three other portraits featured Dr David Wilson, Catherine Corcoran and Sue Collins. Despite having to contend with constant pain and depleted stamina, Smither remains engaged and stimulated by the world and his own place in it. He contrasts these exceptional portraits with his 70s and 80s portraits... They are much less about the painter than the painted, he contends, about one human being looking at another human being, and often seeing the younger spirit within the well-worn face. I was thinking the other day about death and all that sort of thing, and I thought when it comes to announcing my death that you can say ‘after a long and painful illness’ because I’ve been in pain now, every day for nine years and it’s actually beginning to wear me down, its worn me down to 1 hour, 2 hours a day, I’m exhausted you know, I find myself shaking my head, but there are pills for pain, so I take em! I realise now how much more I’m putting into a painting now than I did in those days - Smither referring to his 1970s and 80s portraits... it’s taking a lot lot longer, but it’s a lot lot better, even I know its better, I don’t need anybody else to tell me. Michael Smither in Michael Smither Portraits, a documentary by his friend Tony Hiles, 2016 The documentary Michael Smither Portraits can be viewed on the NZIFF website: https://ondemand.nziff.co.nz/#!/browse/ film/15441/michael-smither-portraits The other eight films in the series can be accessed here https://ondemand.nziff.co.nz/#!/home